The Knox Trophy and Medal 1924-1940.

Batschelet, Allen W.

The Knox Trophy and Medal, named after the first Chief of Artillery Major General Henry Knox of the Revolutionary War, was presented to the best battery and best enlisted Redleg by the Chief of Field Artillery annually from 1924 and 1940. Here is the history of the award.

In 1924, the Chief of Field Artillery established an annual contest to competitively test the leadership and proficiency of artillery batteries Army-wide. Battery D of the 7th Field Artillery in Madison Barracks, New York, won this first award for performance excellence. Each year from then on until 1940 (with the exception of 1933), the Chief of Field Artillery recognized the best FA battery in the Army by awarding it the "Knox Trophy." (See Figure 1.)

Beginning in 1924, the Knox Trophy was donated by the Society of the Sons of the Revolution in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. This patriotic and educational organization, founded in 1883 on the national level, dedicated itself to perpetuating the memory of the men who, in military, naval and civil service of the colonies and of the Continental Congress, by their acts or counsel, achieved the independence of the United States.

Why a state-level association of this national organization began awarding the Knox Trophy to the best FA battery in the Army is unclear. Perhaps it was because Major General Henry Knox, the first Chief of Artillery for the US Army (Continental Army) after whom the awards were named, was a distinguished Revolutionary War hero and native son of Boston.

Interestingly, 1924 also is the year an annual competition to determine the best small cavalry unit in the Army was established. Named the Draper Combat Leadership Award, this cavalry competition was first held at Fort Riley, Kansas--then the home of the Cavalry School.

Prior to 1924, evidence suggests that the Chief of Field Artillery recognized and made an annual award to the FA battery of the Regular Army that achieved the highest score in firing efficiency. Furthermore, as early as 1922, FA units held their own local and internal contests to recognize their best batteries. 1924 saw the expansion, formalization and institutionalization of the competition, enabled in large part by the generous participation of the Society of the Sons of the Revolution of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Competition in 1924 expanded from testing only firing efficiency to include evaluations in three additional areas: mobility, communications and interior economy. (Interior economy translated to battery administrative requirements.) The Chief of Field Artillery viewed this Army-wide competition as a means for communicating his training priorities to the field.

This expanded version of the test with the formal award of the Knox Trophy also was a means to "level the playing field." Common wisdom held that testing only firing efficiency gave units equipped with the 75-mm howitzers a distinct advantage.

The design of the test reflected the skills and tasks whose mastery led to a trained and ready FA battery. Clearly, the test attempted to be fair and impartial--no small feat given that the batteries tested were variously equipped with horses, pack mules and light, medium and heavy howitzers and guns.

Units received yearly instructions on the test parameters and conduct early in the calendar year. On their own initiative, local commanders administered the test anytime throughout the year to fit local training schedules and requirements. However, the Chief of Field Artillery required all results be at Fort Sill no later than 20 November.

Chairing and in consultation with the Knox Council, the Chief of Field Artillery determined the winners in January and announced the award of the Trophy in the January-February edition of the Field Artillery Journal. On behalf of the unit and his men, the battery commander of the winning unit attended an awards banquet in Boston, Massachusetts, held by the Society of the Sons of the Revolution in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

1926 saw the creation and first presentation of the Knox Medal, an adjunct to the Knox Trophy. The intent of this medal was to annually recognize the top enlisted man for excellence as a student at the Field Artillery School. (See Figure 2.)

Although not official Army awards, today the US Field Artillery Association, a private nonprofit association, honors enlisted students at Fort Sill. The FA Association gives plaques to the top graduates of the Basic and Advanced NCO Courses, Fort Sill Soldier and NCO of the Quarter and Year and Drill Sergeant and Instructor of the Year. In addition, the Association presents framed prints to the top graduates of each officer and warrant officer basic and advanced courses.

The original Knox Trophy resided at Fort Sill in the office of the Chief of Field Artillery. This trophy had a plaque that was engraved annually to add the new winner. Each winning unit received a replica. In 1927, reflecting the growing popularity of the annual contest, the competitions expanded to include separate awards for units of the Coast Artillery Corps, Massachusetts National Guard Coast Artillery and, interestingly, battleships of the Navy.

Winning the Knox Trophy was not easy. The battery had to meet the highest of standards in multiple tests. A 3 May 2002 email from now Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Otto A. Ewaldsen of Port Ludlow, Washington, tells just how rigorous it was for his A Battery, 2d Field Artillery of Fort Clayton, Panama, to win the trophy in 1939.

"As a trooper in A Battery at the time we earned that award, the memories come roaring back about the effort we put in to receive it. We were told at the time that we were the first and only pack [mule] artillery battery to be given the plaque. The inspectors went over everything with a 'fine tooth comb'--or curry, that is. When we came from the road march portion of the tests, the animals were really gone over in inspections--[the judges] did not miss a thing.

"I was an instrument operator in the detail section at the time and had two animals: a horse named Tony for me and a pack mule named Andy for the instrument loads. Before we left the picket line, those animals were groomed 'dry,' and that's pretty tough in the humidity of the canal zone after a rigorous road march on a jungle trail. [The competition was] Quite an experience."

Sadly, time and the effects of history took their toll on the Knox competitions. Two factors conspired to cause the suspension of the 1933 competition: lack of ammunition to test firing efficiency and the Army's participation and support of the Civilian Conservation Corps. Both factors were the results of the Great Depression. As the interwar years progressed and the Field Artillery, along with the rest of the Army, transformed in anticipation of World War I, support for the Knox competitions eroded.

Finally, in 1940, as announced in the March 1941 Field Artillery Journal, Battery C of the 11th Field Artillery, commanded by Captain C. Wesner, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, received the last recorded award of the original Knox Trophy.

The Knox Awards--both Trophy and Medal--recognized hard work, talent and determination that resulted in performance up to the highest of standards.

The soldiers who earned these awards, either collectively in a battery or singly in a course in the Field Artillery School, are the unsung heroes of our branch. Their consistent, excellent performance set the standard held steadfastly through two world wars and set the pace for those who would follow in Korea, Vietnam, Desert Storm and countless deployments to defend US interests abroad. We honor them by reestablishing the Knox Award this year and recognizing today's unsung heroes.

Figure 1

Knox Trophy Winners, 1924-1940

Year  Unit             Commander

1924  D/7th FA         Unknown

1925  A/8th FA         1LT Ernest A. Bixby

1926  C/4th FA         CPT John D. Key


1927  B/82d FA         CPT John M. Reynolds

1928  F/16th FA        CPT H.E. Tisdale

1929  A/83d FA         CPT Solomon F. Clark

1930  A/13th FA        CPT LeCount H. Slocum

1931  D/3d FA          CPT Ernest T. Hayes

1932  B/11th FA        CPT William R. Philp

1933  Not Continued *

1934  B/13th FA        CPT John W. Faulconer

1935  B/14th FA        CPT Maylon E. Scott

1936  D/14th FA        CPT John M. Works

1937  B/76th FA        CPT John C. Cook

1938  B/83d FA         CPT E.T. Williams

1939  A/2d FA          CPT Walter D. Webb, Jr.

1940  C/11th FA        CPT C. Wesner

Year  Duty Station

1924  Madison Barracks, NY

1925  Schofield Barracks, HI

1926  Fort Davis, Canal Zone
      (Panama)

1927  Fort Bliss, TX

1928  Fort Bragg, NC

1929  Fort Benning, GA

1930  Schofield Barracks, HI

1931  Fort Sheridan, IL

1932  Schofield Barracks, HI

1933

1934  Schofield Barracks, HI

1935  Fort Riley, KS

1936  Fort Sam Houston, TX

1937  Fort Francis E. Warren, WY

1938  Fort Benning, GA

1939  Fort Clayton Panama

1940  Schofield Barracks, HI

* The 1993 Knox Trophy competition was not conducted due to lack of
ammunition and the demands of Civilian Conservation Corps duty.

Figure 2

Knox Medal Recipients, 1926-1939

Year  Unit                 Winner

1926  1-18 FA              CPL L.J. Arnold

1927  HHB & CBT Trains,    CPL John P. Olszewski
      1-10 FA

1928  D/1st FA             SGT Ray B. Maynard

1929  HHB & CBT Trains,    CPL Ergo Losbaker
      2-18 FA

1930  HHB, 1st FA          CPL Harvey R. Griffith

1931  HHB, 2-3 FA          SGT Clifton J Pierce

1932  HHB, 1st FA          SGT Clarence Scott

1933  HHB & CBT Trains,    CPL Woodrow W. Anderson
      1-18 FA

1934  HHB, 2-15 FA         CPL Roy L. Albright

1935  HHB, 1st FA          SGT George P. Sampson

1936  HHB, 77th FA         SSG Hugh R. Bedford

1937  HHB, 6th FA Brigade  SGT Glen L. Foote

1938  HHB, 10th FA         SSG Wayne H. Lewis

1939  HHB, 2-83 FA         SGT Vernon O. Moore

Year  Duty Station

1926  Fort Sill, OK

1927  Fort Lewis, WA


1928  Fort sill, OK

1929  Fort Des Moines, IO


1930  Fort Sill, OK

1931  Fort Sheridan, IL

1932  Fort Sill, OK

1933  Fort Sill, OK


1934  Fort Sam Houston, TX

1935  Fort Sill, OK

1936  Fort D.A. Russell, Marfa, TX

1937  Fort Sheridan, IL

1938  Fort Lewis, WA

1939  Fort Bragg, NC

RELATED ARTICLE: Major General Henry Knox was born 25 July 1750 in Boston, Massachusetts, as the seventh of 10 children to Scotch-Irish immigrants. His father, a shipmaster, died when Henry was 12, forcing him to leave public school and sign on as an apprentice bookseller.

In 1771, he opened his own bookstore in Boston. It became a meeting place for British officers who were unaware of Knox's role as an intelligence agent for patriot leaders.

Knox studied artillery and military engineering by reading from the large stock of military books in his store. This gave him the expertise to be second-in-command of the artillery company when he first joined the militia.

In 1775, Knox became a colonel in charge of the Continental Artillery and began his brilliant expedition to capture 59 cannons and mortars from Fort Ticonderoga and bring them 300 miles in the snow to General George Washington's headquarters at Cambridge. These indirect fire weapons were instrumental in forcing the British to evacuate Boston and made the difference between victory and defeat in the Battle of Trenton in 1776. Knox was General Washington's trusted advisor and participated with him in all of Washington's campaigns.

In 1785, Knox was appointed Secretary of War by the Confederation Congress, and when the Constitution went into effect, he was the only Confederation official carried over on a permanent basis, becoming the first American Secretary of War.

Henry Knox was an incisive observer of the Revolution and Federal period, writing many letters and reports that proved politically influential; was a brilliant artilleryman as judged by his French counterparts; was an able administrator of the War Department; was well-liked by his colleagues; and had less disaffection in his artillery regiments than other units in the service.

He and Alexander Hamilton are known for influencing President Thomas Jefferson to establish the US Military Academy at West Point, New York, on 16 March 1802. The USMA originally was established to train Artillerists and Engineers.

In 1806 at the age of 56, Henry Knox died of an infection from a chicken bone lodged in his intestines (or appendicitis) at Thomaston, Maine.

Most of the information in this sidebar was taken tram the "Henry Knox" biography by Harry M. Ward, Dictionary of American Military Biography, Volume II, Roger J. Spiller, Editor (Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1984), 569-572.

Lieutenant Colonel Allen W. Batschelet is an Action Officer in J3, Deputy Director of Information Operations, Office of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the Pentagon. Prior to that he was the Commander of 3d Battalion, 82d Field Artillery, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas. He commanded A Battery, 3d Battalion, 82d Field Artillery and A Battery, 21st Field Artillery, 1st Cavalry Division, during Operations Desert Shield and Storm in the Persian Gulf; and in 1996, he deployed as the S3 and then Executive Officer of theist Battalion, 7th Field Artillery, 1st Infantry Division (Mechanized) out of Germany in support of Operations Joint Endeavor and Joint Guard in Bosnia-Herzegovina. He holds a Master of Military Arts and Science (MMAS) from the Command and General Staff College and an MMAS from the School of Advanced Military Studies, both at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, and a Master of Strategic Arts from the War College at Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania.